Obituary: Doris BourneDoris Bourne JACKSONVILLE, Ill. —­ Doris “Little Jo” Foster Bourne, 89, of Jacksonville, Ill., died Thursday, May 14, 2015, at Heritage Health in Jacksonville. She was born Nov. 29, 1925, in Tulsa, Okla., the daughter of Miles and Eva Floy Neal Allen. Upon her mother’s death, she was adopted and raised by her uncle and aunt, Scott and Peggy Richardson Neal. She married Robert R. Carr and he preceded her in death. She then married Joe E. Foster...

Obituary: Richard PhillipsRichard W. Phillips, 67, of Russellville departed this life Friday, May 15, 2015, and went to spend eternity with his Heavenly Father. He was born July 5, 1947, in DeWitt to Raymond and Tressie Curtright Phillips. Richard was a U.S Army veteran. He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother Raymond Phillips. Survivors include his wife of 28 years, Debra Isbell Phillips; three sons and daughters-in-law, Robert and Brittany Phillips of...

A little heart to heartSt. Mary’s Regional Medical Center Cardiologist Dr. Rasool Shuja (right) recently visited with students in Johnny Ayres’ Pre-AP science class to teach them about the heart. Shuja presented information on the different chamber of the heart, dissected pig hearts with the students, and discussed what a cardiologist does with items such as pace makers, heart catheters and stints.

Felkins resigns from Clarksville School BoardCLARKSVILLE — The School Board accepted the resignation of member Bill Joe Felkins during its regular meeting Wednesday. The board appointed Bobby Freeman to serve as board member for the remainder of Felkins’ term. In other business, Clay Austin was appointed as disbursing officer for the district. Freeman Wish and Superintendent Dr. David Hopkins briefly discussed financing methods for the proposed new high school, but no action was taken. T...

Memorial honors fallen officersA somber tone hung over the Peace Officers Memorial Day celebration on Friday at the Train Depot, as law enforcement and others gathered to honor officers who’ve fallen while serving. Friday morning, Johnson County Reserve Deputy Sonny Smith was shot and killed while on duty. “It’s a day of mixed emotions,” Russellville Police Chief Jeff Humphrey said. “There’s a sense of sadness because we’ve lost a fellow officer, but this is also a time of ...

Fire officials report blaze at hotel was caused by electronics problemRussellville firefighters responded to a structure fire at 2:35 a.m. on Friday at the Clarion Hotel at 2407 N. Arkansas Ave. Upon arrival, the firefighters found smoke and fire coming from the roof area of the main building. Firefighters were able to enter the structure with ladders, quickly extinguishing the fire and confining it to the soffit area on the structure’s east side. The area of the structure affected by the fire saw moderate damag...

Police: 9 dead in Texas shooting involving rival biker gangsWACO, Texas (AP) â A shooting involving rival biker gangs at a Central Texas restaurant has left nine people dead and some others injured. Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton says eight people died at the scene of the shooting at Twin Peaks restaurant about noon Sunday and another person died at a hospital. Swanton says the fight began with punches and then escalated to knives and firearms. It's not immediately clear if bystanders are among th...

UCA holds tuition steady, raises admission standardsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees has agreed to keep most tuition and fees at current levels and to increase student admissions standards. The board voted Friday to continue charging undergraduates $197.25 and graduate students $234.04 per credit hour. The board did vote to raise from $240 to $270 per credit hour the rates for graduate programs offered fully online. The new standards for unconditional admi...

Johnson County deputy fatally shotCLARKSVILLE — The Johnson County Sheriff’s Department and law enforcement agencies throughout Arkansas are mourning the death of an 11-year veteran who was killed early Friday. Reserve Deputy Sonny Smith, 42, responded to a reported burglary with other deputies after the Sheriff’s Department received a telephone report at approximately 1 a.m. Friday in the area of County Road 1723, about 15 miles east of Clarksville. According to the Arkansas ...

Cook has life saved twice at Saint Mary'sTo have your life saved once is a blessed oddity in itself. To have it saved twice falls somewhere between divine providence and brilliant chance. But for the same hospital to be the intervening hand once in 1934 and again in 2015? Throw the odds out the window. You can’t plug this story into an equation. When Richard Cook was 5 years old living in Augsburg, in those times a small German-speaking community a few miles northwest of Russellville...

Ex-Lonoke County assessor faces credit card fraud chargeLONOKE (AP) — Authorities say a former Lonoke County assessor faces charges including credit card fraud and property theft. Sheriff's deputies arrested Jack McNally, 58, of Cabot on Thursday following an Arkansas State Police investigation into the findings of a 2013 Legislative Audit on Lonoke County. Lonoke County Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Graham said McNally was taken into custody without incident. In addition to the credit card fraud and ...

Sheriff: Woman's body found in northeast Arkansas riverBATESVILLE (AP) — Authorities in northeast Arkansas say a woman's body has been found in the White River. Independence County Sheriff Steve Jeffery said the body was found Thursday near Batesville. He told the Batesville Daily Guard that a person gathering driftwood called around 7:30 a.m. to say the body of an adult woman was in the river. Her cause of death is unclear. Jeffery declined to comment on other details about the case. The body has...

Judge reprimanded after divorce caseLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas district court judge has been reprimanded after he said he forgot about a divorce case that took him 20 months to rule on. The Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission on Friday said Judge Edwin Keaton had agreed to a series of corrective actions. Keaton has agreed to conduct a quarterly docket review and take other steps to avoid delayed rulings. The commission says the judicial district has stoppe...

Boston Marathon bomber sentenced to deathBOSTON (AP) — A jury sentenced Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death Friday for the Boston Marathon bombing, sweeping aside pleas that he was just a "kid" who fell under the influence of his fanatical older brother. Tsarnaev, 21, stood with his hands folded upon learning his fate, decided after 14 hours of deliberations over three days in the nation's most closely watched terrorism trial since the Oklahoma City bombing case two decades ago. The decision ...

Arkansas National Guard wants to combine 2 armories into oneWALNUT RIDGE (AP) — The Arkansas National Guard has asked to close its armory in Lawrence County, a move local officials say will cost the area millions of dollars in economic activity. Guard Lt. Col. Joel Lynch said budget cuts and weak recruitment numbers in the area have led officials to ask for the consolidation of its two armories, one in Lawrence County and the other in Clay County, into one unit based in Jackson County. Lynch told The J...

Petition OKed for community seeking to become townLITTLE ITALY (AP) — The Pulaski County clerk's office has certified a petition from the roughly 380-person community of Little Italy asking to become a town. Organizers of the effort said Friday that the necessary signatures from qualified voters have been approved. The community 35 miles from downtown Little Rock will plan for a public hearing and, if no challenge is launched, an election later this year. Residents of the seven square-mile co...

Little Rock police gets its first female assistant chiefLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A 23-year veteran of the Little Rock Police Department is now the agency's first female assistant chief. Capt. Alice Fulk was promoted to assistant chief on Thursday, succeeding Assistant Chief Eric Higgins, who left the department in February after 30 years. Fulk had been an administrator in the major-crimes division. Fulk had sought a promotion to assistant chief in 2012 but was denied. She filed a lawsuit against the depa...

Police: Child critically injured in shootingREDFIELD (AP) — State police are investigating the shooting of a child at his home in central Arkansas. Arkansas State Police said the child was critically wounded by a gunshot Friday at his home in Redfield. The agency said the shooting involves a sibling, who authorities believe shot the victim. It's unclear where or how the child was shot. Police have not released the identity of either child. Redfield is about 30 miles south of Little Rock.

Police: Oklahoma Wal-Mart worker dies after being hit by SUVOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A 21-year-old man is jailed on multiples charges after Oklahoma Police say he struck and killed a Wal-Mart worker with his vehicle. Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow said Rodney Lynch, 53, was pronounced dead at a hospital Friday morning after being hit by a sport utility vehicle while walking to his vehicle in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Wardlow said investigators later arrested Jabari Berry for causing a fatality collision and leaving...